Ancestors of Mandy Willard

Thomas William TULLETT (1891-1956)

and Annie Elsie STILLAWAY (1898-1985)

Thomas William Tullett and Annie Elsie Stillaway were my Grandparents.  (Click here to see their place in my pedigree chart.)  They married by banns on Wednesday 22 September 1920 in the parish church of St. Andrew in Portslade-by-Sea, Sussex.  He was a 29 year old bachelor and stoker of Ellen Street, Portslade.  She was a 22 year old spinster and domestic servant of St. Andrew's Road, Portslade.  The witnesses were Edmund Tullett and Lily May Stillaway (brother of groom and sister of bride).

-  22 September 1920  -

Back Row:  Samuel Tullett, [--?f--], Emma Charlotte Tullett nee Goble, Edmund Tullett, [--?f--], [--?f--], Lily Stillaway nee Dowlen, William Stillaway

Seated:  Ivy Tullett, [--?--], Thomas William Tullett, Annie Elsie Tullett nee Stillaway, [--?f--], [--?f--]

Floor:  [--?f--], Margaret Olive Stillaway

Thomas William Tullett was born on Friday 20 March 1891 at 9 Ellen Street, Portslade, Sussex.  He was baptised on 11 March 1903, along with other siblings, at St. Andrew, Portslade.  He was the eldest son and fourth child of Thomas William Tullett (1862-1911) and Emma Charlotte Goble (1863-1951).  The family story is that he ran away and joined the Navy whilst underage and spent WW1 on board ship in the China Seas.  According to his Naval papers he joined up on 9 March 1909 and then gave his date of birth of 20 March 1890.  He was discharged from the navy on 9 June 1921.  On joining up he gave his occupation as brickmaker and he was then 5 feet 8 inches tall with a chest measurement of 35 inches.  He was also then said to have had scars from old lumps, his hair was brown, eyes grey and of a medium complexion.  He joined on the same day as William Knowles, milkman, who was born on 12 July 1889 in Portslade.

Thomas served on/at the following:

After his time in the Navy, Tom spent most of his working life at the Electricity Works, Portslade, where he was at first a stoker and then an electrician.  He died on Christmas Day 1956 at Southlands Hospital, Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex and was buried in the Downsway Cemetery in Southwick, Sussex

Annie Elsie Stillaway was born on Sunday 29 May 1898 at Broadmere in Henfield, Sussex.  She was the second daughter and third child of William Stillaway (1866-1939) and Lily Dowlen (1869-1949).  Her mother registered her birth on 30 June 1898 and her father was then a farm labourer.  She was also known as Nance.  Annie died on 10 November 1985 at 7 John Street, Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex and was buried along with her husband in Southwick.  (7 John Street was then a nursing home for the elderly.)  I last saw Nan, as she was known to me, 2 weeks before she died when my mum and I took her in her wheelchair to have her hair cut in the community centre in Shoreham town centre.  On 16 August 1919 Annie was a witness at the marriage of elder sister.

Thomas William Tullett and Annie Elsie Stillaway had 6 children:

1. Gordon Tullett, married to May and they have 3 daughters, 2 sons, 5 grandsons and 2 granddaughters.

2. Vera Irene Tullett, was born at 12.40am on  Monday 22 January 1923 at 37 Fishersgate Terrace in Fishersgate, Southwick.  She was a twin.  She died at 2.30am on Saturday 10 June 2006 at The Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, Sussex.  Vera was buried in the Downsway cemetery in Southwick at 1.30pm on Friday 16 June 2006, after a funeral service at St. Michael and All Angels in Southwick.

   Vera married Thomas Jack Knight on 14 August 1948 at St. Michael and All Angels, Southwick.  He was then a 30 year old farm labourer of Barnsfold Lane in Rudgwick and she was a 25 year old spinster of 12 Ridgeway Close in Southwick.  The witnesses to their marriage were Thomas William Tullett and James Arthur Knight.  They met in a cow shed during WW2 when Vera was working in the Land Army.

   Thomas Jack, known as Jack, was born on 1 December 1917 in Rudgwick, Sussex.  His parents were James Knight (1868-?) and Fanny Rose Clark (1879-?).

   Jack and Vera had 1 daughter, 3 sons and 3 grandsons.

3. Eileen Isabel Tullett,  my mother, a twin.  She married my father Jesse Willard in 1950.  He is the son of William Charles Willard (1894-1948) and Bessie Warman (1900-1987).  They had 2 daughters, however, my elder sister Maureen Willard died 10 minutes after her birth.  I have no children, so they have no grandchildren.

   During WW2 my mother was in the Land Army and my father away in the Army.  On 24 March 1945 he sent a post card to her acknowledging receipt of her letter to him.  Dad addressed the card, c/o Mrs. Warren, "Mrytle Cottage" S'field, near Crawley, Sussex.

4. Kenneth Noel Tullett, a twin to Den, married to Mary and they have 2 sons, 1 daughter, 4 grandsons and 2 granddaughters.

   

5. Denis Noel Tullett a twin to Ken, married Violet Lucy Gathern (1928-1999).  She was the daughter of David William Gathern (1895-1953) and Violet Beatrice Bashford (1894-1968).  Den and Vi had 3 sons, 3 grandsons and 1 granddaughter.

6. Barbara Olive Tullett, married to Rob and they have 1 daughter and 1 granddaughter.

Annie Elsie surrounded by some of her family on her 80^th birthday

(Hover the cursor over the faces for names.)

Brothers and Sisters

left to right:  Babs, Den, Vera, Ken, Eileen and Gordon

1891 Census - 9 Ellen Stree, Portslade, Sussex (RG12/823, folio 46, page 14)

Thomas W. Tullett, Head, M, 29, Labourer, born Sussex, Cuckfield

Emma Tullett, Wife, M, 28, born Fareham

Sarah A. Tullett, Daur, 4, born Sussex, Portslade

Lydia Tullett, Daur, 2, born Sussex, Portslade

Thomas W. Tullett, Son, 2 weeks, born Sussex, Portslade

1901 Census - 14 Ellen Street, Portslade, Sussex (RG13/943, folio 82, page 22)

Thomas W. Tullett, Head, M, 39, General Labourer, Worker, born Sussex, Cuckfield

Emma Tullett, Wife, M, 37, born Hampshire, Fareham

Lydia Tullett, Daur, 12, born Sussex, Portslade

Thomas W. Tullett, Son, 10, born Sussex, Portslade

David H. Tullett, Son, 8, born Sussex, Portslade

Daisy I. Tullett, Daur, 3, born Sussex, Portslade

Edmund Tullett, Son, 1, born Sussex, Portslade

1901 Census - 10 Castletown, Upper Beeding, Sussex, (RG13/947, folio 13, page 18)

William Stillaway, Head, M, 34, Labourer in Cement Works, born Sussex, Henfield

Lily Stillaway, Wife, M, 31, born Sussex, Henfield

Susan Stillaway, Daur, 7, born Sussex, Henfield

continued over the page (RG13/947, folio 14, page 19)

William Stillaway, Son, 5, born Sussex, Henfield

Annie Stillaway, Daur, 2, born Sussex, Henfield

Thomas Hards, Boarder, 25, Labourer in Cement Works, Worker, born Sussex, Henfield

STILLAWAY          TULLETT